David Michael Gleason ’54

David Michael Gleason ’54 passed away on October 24, 2016, in Cleveland. At Dartmouth he was an English major and a brother of Phi Upsilon. David served in the U.S. Army in Korea. He joined Austin Powder Co., one of the world’s oldest industrial explosives manufacturers in the construction and mining industries, as a technical representative in 1955. He was instrumental in expanding the company from a regional company of 400 employees to a worldwide organization of 4,000 employees. David worked his way through the ranks from sales representative to director of sales, vice president and general manager and, finally in 1965, as president and CEO. As chairman and board member of the Institute of Makers of Explosives from 1979 to 1982 he was instrumental in reorganizing the group into an effective trade organization that persuaded the U.S. Congress to revise the explosives provision of an anti-terrorism bill. David was active in many business organizations, including the International Society of Explosive Engineers, American Mining Congress, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, and the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. As a lifelong Clevelander he was involved in many local organizations and active in the treatment of chemical dependency, particularly as it pertained to young people. He was a trustee and president of the Regional Council on Alcoholism; founded New Directions Inc., a treatment center and secondary drug and alcohol treatment center for teenagers; and established the Glenwillow Foundation, an adult residence for recovering alcoholics. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn, and children Colleen, Michael, Timothy and Alexander.